Unrestful Peace
by Aya Diefair
Summary: This was not how Tony imagined himself getting the rest he's craved for so long. Turns out, the universe didn't care. - — Spoiler Alert: References Deleted Scene from Endgame. — - Warning Tag: Implied/Referenced Major Character Death; Mourning; Coming to Terms with One's Death; Saying Goodbye.


**Author's Note: **So, I am aware that there was a deleted scene for _Avengers: Endgame_ that has Tony in the Soul Realm (thing) for some time now, and I know that Disney+ dropped the deleted scenes on their streaming service a few days ago, I didn't let it deter me from writing this piece anyway. To make things clear, I have not seen the deleted scene myself, I have only seen a couple still shots and have read an article about it.

We also don't exactly know how the Soul Stone works in the MCU, aside from it aiding in the Decimation and Thanos' scene with Gamora, so I have interpreted it to manifest a wish of sorts, mixed with that implication of supposedly giving someone a chance to find peace with their actions. This is entirely my own take on it nonetheless, and I hope that it does the scene justice.

Enjoy.

**Warning Tag:** Implied/Referenced Major Character Death; Mourning; Coming to Terms with One's Death; Saying Goodbye.

**Word Count:** (Per Google Docs) 855

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**Unrestful Peace**

Tony knew that the second he snapped his fingers, he was as good as burnt toast. Not even his suit could handle the immense power coursing through it as it attempted to equalize and disperse the Stones combined energy, but he designed it to hold them for this purpose, despite the extensive measures he made to avoid this very situation he found himself in, Tony still built-in a failsafe anyway.

How he felt like a fool when Dr. Strange gave him that simple, vague, stupid reminder just seconds before with a single raised finger. Of course it _had_ to be the only way.

He stalled for as long as he felt was safe before he looked to his hand. Feeling his fingers slide over each other, Tony closed his eyes and pictured his family one last time before focusing on the command to the Stones.

_Snap._

The shattering pull of their power ripped through his body with agonizing force, but then it was gone just as fast.

There felt like nothingness surrounding Tony, but the soft whispers of water told him to open his eyes to investigate. A strange orange glow surrounded him, and the scene laid out in front of him was so familiar yet so different from what it really was. Tony knew this was his final wish being fulfilled—well, as good as it could be, anyway. Magic could only do so much.

Someone crawled out of the small tent that was pitched under the trees by what should have been the lakefront of their property, but the ground here was all reflective water. The little girl that emerged looked right at him and Tony caught the sob in his throat, feeling the tears well in his eyes as he refused to look away.

"Daddy…"

Morgan stood to her full, tiny height and started walking toward him, but with every step she took, Tony saw she grew a little bigger each time. Watching it happen like this was a knife to the heart.

A young lady now stood mere feet from him. She looked so much like him it was uncanny, but she managed to inherit some of Pepper's traits with how she was capable of physically expressing herself. He couldn't forget about the auburn hair, he supposed. That was a perfect mix of his dark hair with Pepper's fiery locks, and it looked lovely.

Before he could stop himself, Tony reached out and curled a finger around a tendril that fell into Morgan's face and delicately pulled it back behind her ear.

"H—How are you, Button? Gosh, you are so grown up I—" The lump in his throat kept him from continuing.

Morgan had never looked so sad before, and it only tore the hole deeper and filled it with more guilt than Tony already carried from the decision he had no choice in making.

"I am so sorry…" he gasped out, eyes watering further as he closed them.

Tony felt himself be pulled into a hug, which caused the tears to streak across his cheeks. If this was what breaking a promise—and a heart—felt like, well…

"You did what no one else could do," Morgan said, pulling away from Tony after several seconds. "I will understand that someday."

Tony swallowed hard, unable to fully look her in the eyes. Blinking only caused the tears to continue to overflow. "But you shouldn't have ever needed to understand it in the first place."

His whisper was barely audible with the soft water sound rippling in the background, but Morgan seemed to have heard him regardless. "I will be alright. We will be alright. I may not know this now, but I do know that no one will ever forget you, especially me, and that… that will make it a little easier."

She placed a light hand on Tony's shoulder, giving it a light squeeze of reassurance. He didn't know what he should say, nothing would make him feel better, nothing he said will ever be enough.

"If I could… could change just one thing," Tony took in a labored breath, releasing it with a stutter as he met Morgan's eyes, "it would be not lying to you like I did."

She nodded in understanding, but Tony knew better. He wasn't sure exactly how the Soul Stone worked, but he couldn't quite find comfort in knowing that the young lady standing in front of him was nothing more than a figment of his own mind, a hologram, a memory pulled from his subconscience and exaggerated in order to soothe him, it was never going to be real. For some reason, it wasn't quite enough, but it was all he had left.

Morgan pulled him into another hug, and he gladly returned it.

"It is time for you to rest," she whispered, but she didn't release him. "I will always love you, Daddy."

He could feel the pull then, but he refused to let her go, either. He held onto the artificial memory like it was his very last lifeline until he had no other option, he had to go back.

"I love you three-thousand…"


End file.
